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Side by side

Moroccanoil Hydrating Styling Cream vs Moroccanoil Root Boost

48% function match · 7 of the 13 functions we compared match Formula overlap 10%. Moroccanoil Hydrating Styling Cream and Moroccanoil Root Boost share 1 ingredient among each other's most prominent.

Based on your consultation

Which of these fits your hair?

We check your pattern, moisture need, scalp, fragrance tolerance, weight sensitivity and more against each formula — and say which one lines up.

Your profile at a glance

  • Your answers appear here
  • Your answers appear here
  • Your answers appear here
  • Your answers appear here

When each one is the right call

What each formula is built for, from its own ingredient list.

  • Hydrating Styling Cream — protein-sensitive hair
  • Root Boost — protein-sensitive hair

Side by side

Every trait, aligned

One row per trait, read from each product’s own ingredient list and record. A dash means we have not researched that field for that product — it is not a “no”.

Trait
Moroccanoil Hydrating Styling Cream — 10.2 oz container Moroccanoil

Hydrating Styling Cream

  • Styler
  • Salon
  • Sulfate-free
  • Protein-free
Moroccanoil Root Boost — 8.5 oz container Moroccanoil

Root Boost

  • Styler
  • Salon
  • Sulfate-free
  • Silicone-free
Price, size & price per ounce
$54.86 10.2 oz · $5.38/oz
$28–32 8.5 oz · $3.65/oz
Value / price positioning
Priced with its peers $$$$$ Salon tier · costs less than 51% of the 56 smoothing creams we’ve priced
Priced with its peers $$$$$ Salon tier · costs less than 63% of the 64 volumizers we’ve priced
Best for hair types
Straight–Curly Smoothing and thermal products span straight through curly hair. Your hair
All types Nothing in the formula or the claims narrows this to one pattern. Your hair
Moisture level Differs
Moderate Humectants in the working part of the formula. Your hair
Moderate Humectants in the working part of the formula. Your hair
Hold (as stated)
Light A light hold, as stated by the brand. Your hair
—
Slip / detangling Same
High Conditioning agents sit high in the list — this is a detangling formula. Your hair
High Conditioning agents sit high in the list — this is a detangling formula. Your hair
Weight on hair Same
Medium Middle of the range — noticeable on fine hair, light on coarse hair. Your hair
Medium Middle of the range — noticeable on fine hair, light on coarse hair. Your hair
Fragrance
Prominent Fragrance sits in the first eight ingredients — a larger share of the formula. Your hair
Present Fragrance is listed; it sits below the working ingredients. Your hair
Protein Same
None No protein or amino acids in the list. Your hair
None No protein or amino acids in the list. Your hair
Silicone / wax buildup Differs
High Water-insoluble silicones or waxes: a detergent wash is what removes them. Your hair
None Nothing here needs a detergent wash to remove. Your hair
Clarifying wash needed
Moderate Your hair
Low Your hair
Hold system Differs
None found No hold polymer, gum, or wax found in the list. Your hair
High Synthetic hold polymers — the firmest of the hold systems. Your hair
Cast risk Same
Unlikely Softening ingredients sit alongside the film formers, so a hard shell is unlikely. Your hair
Unlikely Softening ingredients sit alongside the film formers, so a hard shell is unlikely. Your hair
Humidity resistance
Claimed The brand claims humidity resistance; the ingredient list cannot confirm it. Your hair
Not claimed No humidity claim on the label. Your hair
Oil absorption Same
None No absorbent powders or starches. Your hair
None No absorbent powders or starches. Your hair
Oils and butters Same
Present, high in the list Oils sit high in the list — a softening, coating formula. Your hair
Present, high in the list Oils sit high in the list — a softening, coating formula. Your hair
Fast-drying alcohol Same
None No fast-drying alcohol in the list. Your hair
None No fast-drying alcohol in the list. Your hair
Formula completeness
out of 10
Covers the core
out of 10
Complete for its job
Who should choose this
  • Protein-sensitive hairthat stiffens when protein is added
  • Maximum slipfor hair that tangles the moment it is wet
  • Humid climatesthe brand claims humidity resistance
  • Soft-hold stylesthat should stay touchable
  • Protein-sensitive hairthat stiffens when protein is added
  • Maximum slipfor hair that tangles the moment it is wet
  • Curly-method routinesno sulfates and no water-insoluble silicones
  • Curl definitionfilm formers hold a clump together
Why you might skip it
  • Scents bother youthis product carries a light scent
  • Curly-method routinesthese silicones need a detergent to remove
  • Styles that must holdno hold polymer, gum, or wax was found
  • Scents bother youthis product carries a scent
  • Aerosol avoidancethis is a pressurised can
  • Tight budgetsit sits in the upper price tiers
from the formula stated by the brand reported by reviewers Scale: 1 dot low · 5 dots high, within this product type.
More facts about each one
Type
Stylercream
Styleraerosol
Where to buy
Ulta · Brand website
Ulta · Brand website
Free of
  • sulfate-free
  • protein-free
  • sulfate-free
  • silicone-free
  • protein-free
  • curly-method compatible
Cruelty-free
Cruelty-free · PETA-listed
Cruelty-free · PETA-listed
Scent
Scented, not described
Scented, not described
Hold
lightsoft hold
—
Finish
natural
natural
Humidity claim
Yes
No
How often
as needed
as needed

Facts as we recorded them. A dash means we have not researched that field for that product — it is not a "no".

The bottom line

The bottom line depends on your hair

Which of these two suits you is a question about your hair, not about them. The consultation answers it — and tells you what your routine needs around it.

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The detail behind the table

Where the readings above come from: the ingredient lists themselves, each brand’s claims checked against them, what owners report, and cost per ounce in context.

Shared and distinct ingredients

Shared and distinct ingredients

Computed from the ingredient lists as printed. "Shared" means both lists carry it; where it sits on each label is stated, because position is what tells you how much.

What both formulas carry

IngredientHydrating Styling CreamRoot Boost
Water
Neutral
#1Leading
#1Leading
Fragrance
Fragrance
#4Below the 1% line
#17Below the 1% line
Argania Spinosa Kernel Oil
Softens
#5Below the 1% line
#7Supporting
Phenoxyethanol
Stabilizes
#7Below the 1% line
#12Below the 1% line

What only one of them carries

Hydrating Styling Cream

Root Boost

Full ingredient list — Hydrating Styling Cream (19)
Full ingredient list — Root Boost (21)

Claims check

What each brand says, against what each formula shows

Claims are quoted from each brand. We only mark one supported, partly supported, or conflicting when that product’s ingredient list actually speaks to it.

VerdictsHydrating Styling CreamRoot Boost
Supported
2
0
Partly supported
0
2
Stated by brand
1
2
Potential conflict
0
0

Hydrating Styling Cream

  • Improves softness by 74%Stated by brandOnly the brand’s testing shows this.
  • Combats frizz and the effects of humiditySupportedSmoother strands, less frizz.
  • Soft hold and definitionSupportedNatural movement without stiffness.

Root Boost

  • Instant lift and volumePartly supportedNeutral on lift.
  • Fortifies and thickens at the rootPartly supportedNeutral on lift.
  • Natural-looking finishStated by brandCan’t be confirmed from label.
  • Long-lasting textureStated by brandCan’t be confirmed from label.

What owners say

What people report

Recurring themes our researchers wrote in their own words from sourced reviews. We do not store or scrape star ratings, and we never balance one product’s themes against another’s by inventing them.

Moroccanoil Hydrating Styling Cream draws complaints about the scent and frizz; Moroccanoil Root Boost draws complaints about weight and residue or cast.

Hydrating Styling Cream

Achieves a polished look while keeping hair's natural texture

Ulta reviewer

Lightweight formula doesn't weigh hair down even on fine hair

Ulta reviewer with fine/thin hair

Effective at controlling frizz in humid weather

Ulta reviewer in humid climate

Expensive for the size relative to similar creams

Ulta reviewer comparing price

Frizz control and fragrance fade with continued use over the day

Ulta reviewer using it daily

Root Boost

Gives noticeable body to fine, thin hair

Ulta reviewer with thin hair

Doesn't leave hair looking greasy, crunchy, or weighed down

Ulta reviewer

Described as a game-changer with instant volume that still feels soft and touchable

Ulta reviewer with fine hair

Leaves a greasy residue that weighs hair down, requiring an extra wash

Ulta reviewer

Sprayer nozzle malfunctions, sputtering product instead of an even spray

Ulta reviewer

Price check

Cost per ounce, in context

Cost per ounce against every product of this type we have priced, each at the size it is most often sold in. Value labels are computed from that percentile and from how many products that do the same job cost less; they are comparisons, not judgements about a brand.

$3.65/oz vs $5.38/oz — Moroccanoil Hydrating Styling Cream costs about 1.5× more per ounce than Moroccanoil Root Boost.

Hydrating Styling Cream

Against 56 smoothing creams with a computable unit price.

Root Boost

Against 64 volumizers with a computable unit price.

Value readHydrating Styling CreamRoot Boost
Label
Priced with its peersSits in the middle of the range for smoothing creams per ounce.
Priced with its peersSits in the middle of the range for volumizers per ounce.

Computed from cost per ounce against every product of this type we have priced, and from how many products that do the same job cost less. It is a comparison, not a judgement about the brand.

Compare with something else

Close formulas to each of these, as their own comparison pages.

Hydrating Styling Cream vs Gotta Bounce Curl Defining CreamEva Nyc · 93% function matchRoot Boost vs Flawless Curls MousseTRESemme · 96% function matchHydrating Styling Cream vs Beat the Heat Thermal Styling SprayNot Your Mother's · 85% function matchRoot Boost vs Curl MoussePATTERN · 89% function matchHydrating Styling Cream vs Miracle Waves Frizz-Fighting SprayAussie · 85% function matchRoot Boost vs Palo Santo Curl Mousse MiniPATTERN · 89% function matchHydrating Styling Cream vs Hairdresser's Invisible Oil Long Last Hydrating Styling CreamBumble and bumble · 85% function matchRoot Boost vs Platinum Thickening Mousse 12Kenra Professional · 89% function match

Hydrating Styling Cream · Root Boost · All smoothing creams in the library

How this page was made

  • This page is assembled from the same researched records the individual product pages render: identity, each ingredient list as printed, each brand's own claims, dated price observations, and review themes written in our researchers' own words. Nothing on it is written per comparison.
  • We do not rank these against each other. Which of them suits you depends on your hair, and that is what the consultation works out.
  • The formula similarity percentage is a stored, precomputed number: position-weighted overlap of the two ingredient lists blended with agreement on the attributes we derive. It measures how alike two formulas are, not how well either works.
  • The value band is a fixed label over two stored numbers: this product’s cost per ounce as a percentile of every product of this type we have priced, each at the size it is most often sold in, and how many products we score as doing the same job cost at least a quarter less per ounce.
  • The "Is this right for you?" panel reads only your own consultation answers, and it applies exactly the filters our recommendation engine applies. It is computed when you load the page and is never stored on it.
  • 4 sources were consulted across the products on this page.
  • Ingredient order tells you relative amount only above roughly 1%. Prices are observations on the dates shown and change without notice. We do not sell these products and take no placement fees.
  • This is cosmetic information, not medical advice, and nothing here diagnoses or treats a health condition.

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